Method for continuous mottletreatment of yarns



Nov. 23, 1965 SHIRO YANO ETAL 3,218,654

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS MOTTLE-TREATMENT OF YARNS Filed NOV. 5, 1962 3Sheets-Sheet l INVEN 'ro R S SH/EO YANO E/ZAB URO KA WA RA BA YA SH!5740/ CH/ 774Kl/EA 7/! K07! MOEOKA WA BY M ATTO R N EY Nov. 23, 1965SHIRO YANO ETAL 3,218,654

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS MOTTLE-TREATMENT OF YARNS Filed Nov. 5, 1962 3Sheets-Sheet 2 N v E N TO R S HIIPO y/l N0 572/? ewe/4 KA WA /&4 BA VA5/-// JHO/CH/ 771 KU/EA M UJ7 NOIPOKA WA ATTO R N EY Nov. 23, 1965 sumoYANO ETAL 3,218,654

METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS MOTTLE-TREATMENT OF YARNS Filed Nov. 5, 1962 3Sheets-Sheet 3 N v E N TO 2 s SH/RO YA NO 5/ ZABU/QO KA WA reA 6A YASH/3/. '0/ CH/ TAKU/QA 774 KUJ'I flo/eoA A WA ATTORNEY ite tts 3,218,654METHOD FOR CONTIWUGUS MOTTLE- TREATMENT OF YARN Shiro Yano, Misasagi,Yamashina, Higashiyarna-ku,

Kyoto, Eizaburo Kawarabayashi, Kitashirakawa, Sakyol-ru, Kyoto, ShoichiTakura, Shiehihonmatsudori, Kamilryo-kn, Kyoto, and Takuii Morokawa,Ulryo-ku, Kyoto, Japan, assignors to Toyo Rayon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo,.lapan, a corporation of Japan, and Eizaburo Kawarahayashi, ShoichiTalmra, and Takuji Morokawa, all of Kyoto, Japan Filed Nov. 5, 1962,Ser. No. 235,262 Claims priority, application .llapan, Nov. 10, 1961,36/40590 1 Claim. (Cl. 8-1512) This invention relates to a method forcontinuous mottle-treatment of yarns. More particularly, it relates to amethod for continuous mottle-treatrnent of yarns in the longitudinaldirection thereof which is characterized by imparting vibration to arunning yarn by means of a vibrator whereby the yarn is caused tointermittently con tact a yarn treating means.

Heretofore, methods of mottle-dyeing yarns have including sprinkledyeing, board dyeing, fasten dyeing, etc. In sprinkle dyeing, yarns areput in a skein, a dye liquor is sprinkled over the skein of yarns insmall drops and thus mottle-dyeing is effected. In board dyeing, yarnsare made into a bundle, placed between boards and pressed tighttherewith, and immersed in a dye liquor. The parts of the yarns placedbetween boards are protected from dyeing and thus mottle-dyeing iseffected. Fasten dyeing is a method heretofore widely practiced in theproduction of cloths with splashed patterns. The yarns are made into abundle, fastened with a string or the like at the locations not to bedyed, then immersed in a dye liquor, whereby the fastened parts remainundyed in mottles.

In the methods mentioned above, although the outer part of a yarn bundlemay produce desired mottles comparatively accurately, it is extremelydifiicult to control with assurance the mottles produced inside thebundles. Also, such methods have so far been practiced only byhandicraft and a great amount of labor and a high level of experienceare necessary for the practice of these methods. Further, in the case ofweaving or knitting textiles from mottle-dyed yarns, since the weavingor knitting is performed with the patterns being adjusted by hand, theprocess is very inefficient and the reproducibility is extremely poor.

Commercial methods of mottle-printing of yarns, which have been proposedinclude a method of adhering a dye liquor to the yarn by means of anengraved roller and a method wherein a nozzle for supplying a dye liquoris moved up and down so as to come into an intermittent contact with ayarn which is running. However, in the former, each desired patternrequires a different roller. In the latter, in case a high density ofspotty distribution is desired, that is, a pitch of untreated part of ayarn in the longitudinal direction is desired to be small, the runningspeed of the yarn would have to be made extremely low. Thus, with thesemethods it is diflicult to meet the demand for a wide range of spottypatterns unless productivity is sacrificed.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a commercialmethod for treating yarns at constant intervals as desired along thelongitudinal direction of the yarn or thread.

Another object of the invention is to provide a process for continuousmottle-treatment of yarns in the longitudinal direction thereof whichfacilitates the control of the length and distribution of 21 treatedpart and an untreated part in a wide range.

3,218,654 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 A particular object of this inventionis to provide a commercial method for dyeing a yarn at desired constantintervals along the longitudinal direction of the yarn or thread.

Another object of the invention is to provide a commercial method forreleasing crimps of crimped woolly yarns at desired constant intervalsalong the longitudinal direction of the yarn.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a commercial methodof applying pastes or adhesives to a yarn with desired constantintervals along the longitudinal direction of the yarn.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following description and the appended claim.

The above-described objects of the invention are attained by thefollowing process which comprises continuously running a yarn, andimparting vibration to said running yarn by means of a vibrator, therebycausing the yarn to come into intermittent contact with a yarn treatingmeans which is provided within the scope of the amplitude of thevibration of the yarn.

The present invention will be explained with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is to explain the principles of the invention. A yarn 1previously wound up on 2 is continuously taken up on 3. 6 and 7 are,respectively, a tension controller and supporting rolls provided alongthe running di rection of yarn 1 so as to impart a constant tension tothe yarn and regulate the length of vibration of the same. Between 6 and7 a vibrator 4 is provided to impart to the yarnvibration having aconstant period and amplitude. 5 is a yarn treating means disposedwithin the amplitude ocfi of the yarn. Yarn 1 contacts said yarntreating means 5 intermittently, once in a given period, and thus theyarn can be treated accurately in constant lengths at regular intervals.In case the yarn is desired to be dried before being wound, 7 may bemade a drying means.

Any suitable method for the continuous running of a yarn may be employedin the process of this invention. For example, a yarn may be run bytaking up the same from a package via one or more guide rollers.

In general, when a vibration is imparted to a fixed yarn, the resultingvibration period is peculiar to said yarn. In the present invention,however, since a yarn is continuously running, vibration is given tosaid yarn only when it passes through a certain section of small length.The energy necessary for said vibration is continuously imparted bymeans of a vibrator, and the period of vibration is determined by thatof a force vibration, namely, the period of a vibrator. Accordingly, bythe proper selection of a vibrator, the number of mottles per unitlength of a yarn may be freely and accurately determined. Additionally,by varying the running speed (winding speed) of a yarn, tension of ayarn, the length of a section within which a yarn is vibrated and thelength of contact of a yarn with a treating device, the length ofmottles and intervals may be freely adjusted.

There are no limitations regarding the kinds of vibrating devices to beused in this invention. Mechanical methods, electrical methods, magneticmethods, etc., may be properly selected according to the particularneeds. Any means for transmitting vibration to a yarn, either by directcontact or indirect contact with a vibrator, may be used. In the case ofindirect contact a resonance box may be placed between the yarn and thevibrator.

On of the methods for imparting vibration to a yarn by a vibrator shownin FIG. 2, wherein a pillar having angles, such as a triangular pillaror a pillar having bars, is used and said pillar is rotated at a highspeed, whereby a running yarn is made to contact the angled edge of thepillar. When a rotated angled-pillar 21 comes to a position 21', yarn 22which is in contact with said pillar comes to position 22' and isimparted an amplitude oz. The running yarn is vibrated at a frequencywhich varies with the rotary speed of said angled-pillar and at anamplltude which corresponds to the shape and size of the angled pillar.Said frequency and amplitude may properly be selected in accordance withthe running speed of a yarn. In case an angled pillar, particularly atriangular pillar, is used, one of the combinations of the yarn speed,rotary speed of the pillar, frequency of vibration of the yarn and thenumber of mottles obtained therefrom is given below as an example:

Wind-up speed of yarn 250-300 m./min. Number of revolutions oftriangular pillar 3000-6000/m1n Frequency of vibration of yarn9,00018,000/m1n. Number of mottles 30-72/m.

In another embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIG. 3a, 3b, avibrating plate is used. Namely, one end of a vibrating plate 32 isfixed and the other end thereof is made to come into intimate contactwith the teeth of a gear 31 as said gear rotates. By rotating gear 31,vibration is imparted to a vibrating plate 32 which transmits saidvibration to a running yarn 33. The running yarn is imparted vibrationin accordance with the frequency and amplitude of said vibrating plate.An example of the combination of the yarn speed, the number ofrevolutions of the gear, the number of teeth of the gear, the frequencyof vibration of the yarn and the number of mottles per meter, in casethe gear as described above is used, is given in the following:

Wind-up speed of yarn 250-300 m./min. Number of revolutions of gear3,0006,000/rnin. Number of gear teeth -15. Frequency of vibration ofyarn 15,000-90,000/m1n. Number of mottles 50-360/m.

In another embodiment of this invention as shown in FIG. 4, a magnet isused to directly vibrate a yarn. The operation of this embodiment islike the vibration of a horn of a speaker in a radio. An electro-magnet42, as a trembler to a permanent magnet 41, is connected to a resonancebox 43 and a running yarn 44 is contacted therewith. By properlycharging intermittent electric current to electro-magnet 42, saidelectro-magnet vibrates and such vibration is transmitted to a runningyarn via said resonance box. A yarn treating device such as, forexample, a nozzle for supplying a treating liquor is disposed in such amanner that the proper part of the running yarn thus vibrated mayintermittently contact said nozzle.

In another example embodying the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5,an electro-magnet 51 is provided with a light-weight permanent magnet52, which is connected to a resonance box 53. By contacting a runningyarn 54 with said resonance box and applying intermittent electriccurrent to said electro-magnet, vibration may be transmitted to saidyarn. In this case, a resonance box is not necessarily employed, as arunning yarn may be contacted with a permanent magnet.

In still another embodiment of this invention, as shown in FIG. 6, anelectro-magnet 61 and an electro-magnet 62 are oppositely disposed.Between magnets 61 and 62, a light-weight permanent magnet 63 which iscapable of vibrating is positioned. Magnet 63 may be connected, ifnecessary, with a resonance box (not shown). By contacting a runningyarn 64 with said permanent magnet and applying proper intermittentelectric current to said electro-magnet, said permanent magnet is causedto vibrate, thereby transmitting vibration to said yarn. In this method,since the permanent magnet is vibratably disposed between twoelectro-magnets, by making the amplitude of said permanent magnet great,the amplitude of the vibration of said running yarn may be made great.

In another modification of this invention, as shown in FIG. 7, amulti-pole disc 71, alternately provided with N and S poles around theperiphery thereof, is rotated at a high speed. A vibrating plate 72, oneend of which is fixed, is disposed towards the periphery of said disc,but not in contact with the disc. By vibrating said vibrating plate, thevibration may be transmitted to a running yarn 73. A multi-pole disc maybe a light-Weight permanent magnet or an electro-magnet. As a vibratingplate, an iron plate or a metal plate charged with magnetism, or aplastic plate furnished with a permanent magnet at the end thereof, maybe employed.

In still another exmaple, vibration may be imparted to a running yarn bymeans of friction or other means and oppositely providing thereto anelectrode which periodically converts positive and negative staticelectricity in alternation.

Yarn treating devices which may be used in this invention include anozzle and a roller to supply necessary treating liquors for the desiredtreatments such as, for example, dyeing, padding or crimp releasing. Asa device for releasing crimp a heating roller may also be employed.These yarn treating devices should be disposed within the limit ofamplitude of a yarn. The position of the yarn treating device is, ismost cases, preferably close to a trembler, for the amplitude ofvibration of a yarn is comparatively large. However, a yarn treatingdevice may be located at any position, provided that the amplitude ofvibration of a yarn is appropriate at said position. A treating liquorto be fed to a nozzle may be supplied by means of a pump. If desired,the amount of a treating liquor to be supplied from a pump may beperiodically varied.

No special limitation is imposed on treating liquids usable in thisinvention. The treating liquids may be those which can be used in theusual yarn treatment such as dyeing liquors, resist printing liquors,dye pastes, resin liquors, swelling agents and the like.

The yarns which can 'be treated according to the method of thisinvention may be natural fibers such as cotton, wool and silk,artificial cellulose fibers such as viscose rayon, bemberg rayon andacetate, synthetic fibers such as polyamide and polyester, or spun yarnsor continuous filament yarns comprising the mixtures thereof. Also,yarns may be crimped beforehand.

In the dyeing a yarn with mottles according to the method of thisinvention, a dye liquor suitable for the fiber being treated may beutilized. However, in the case of synthetic fibers, i.e., polyamidefiber, polyester fiber, polyacrylonitrile fiber and polyolefin fiber,generally their dyeability is unsatisfactory. Since in accordance withthe method of the present invention the dyeing time is short, where deepshades are desired, it is necessary that a dye liquor of especially gooddyeability be used. Examples of such a dye liquor include dispersed dyesor oil dyes in which a swelling agent or solvent has been blended.Further, the conventional carrier may also be blended in these dyeliquors. The dispersed dyes and oil dyes as used herein are those dyeswhich possess practically no hydrophilic groups and are water-insoluble.

The swelling agents or solvents used are substances which are capable ofswelling fibers, for example, phenol, formic acid and calciumchloride-methanol for the polyamide fibers; chlorobenzene, benzenealcohol, and ethane tetrachloride for the polyester fibers; benzene andcarbon tetrachloride for the polyolefin fibers; and zinc chloridemethylalcohol, phenol and metacresol for the polyacrylonitrile fibers; etc.

As the carriers, there are the conventionally employed surfactants,polyethylene oxide and the like. In addition, salts may also be added.

The dyeing method to be used in the invention is not limited to thedyeing method which employs a dye liquor in which has been blended aswelling agent. It is also possible to use the dyeing method which usesa dye having a hydrophilic group, or the azoic dyeing method whichemploys a coupling component and an azotizing component. Since it isdesirable for the dye liquor to adhere to the yarn without flowing, itis preferable that viscidlty be imparted to the yarn. As dye liquorspossessing viscidity, those that are of the same class as print dyes aresuitable. According to the method of the invention, after the dye liquorhas been caused to adhere to the yarn, it is fixed to the yarn byheating with a heater. Steps consisting of washing with water and dryingmay also be provided subsequent to the heating step. ThlS washing stepmay however be performed separately.

After adhering the treating liquid to the yarn in accordance with themottling treatment of the present invention, the treating liquid iscaused to act on the yarn by means of heating at a suitable temperature.While this temperature is not critical, it is desired that the treatingliquid that has adhered to the yarn in a mottled fashion be heated at atemperature requisite to render thorough coaction between the yarn andthe dyeing liquor.

This heating may be accomplished by employment of a heating wheel, or aheated tube may be used through which the yarn is made to pass.Alternatively, infrared heating may be utilized, or blowing of hot airmay be employed. This heating is carried out at a temperature rangingbetween room temperature and the melting temperature of the fiber.

In order to more clearly understand the present invention, the followingspecific examples are given, it being understood that the examples anddrawings given herein are merely intended in an illustrative sense, andthe invention should not be limited thereby, and that changes may bemade therein without departing from the scope of invention which isdefined in the appended claim.

Example 1 As shown in FIG. 8, a yarn was run from a package 81 through aguide roller 82. Tension was imparted to said running yarn by means of atension apparatus 83 and vibration was imparted thereto by way ofrotating a triangle-pillar cam 84 which is in contact with said yarn.The top end 85 of a nozzle for supplying a treating liquid was made tointermittently contact said yarn. The yarn thus spottily treated washeat dried upon a wheel heater 86 and thereafter wound up via a guideroller 87.

The yarn used for the above treatment was a crimped nylon yarn of 110 x2 ply. The treating liquor used consists of 1000 cc. of methanol, 100 g.of calcium chloride, and 20 g. of waste nylon yarn which has been boiledin a flask provided with a condenser for 15 minutes thereby completelydissolving and thereafter cooled. Said treating liquor was supplied to anozzle by means of a pump. The nozzle used had a width of 0.5 mm. andlength of 20 mm. at the end thereof. The rotary speed of the trianglepillar cam was 3000 r.p.m., the surface temperature of said wheelheater, around which said yarn was once wound, was l60l70 C., and thewind-up speed of said yarn was 180 m./min.

In accordance with the above example, a novel intermittently crimpedyarn wherein a crimped part and a crimp-released part interchangeablyappear in the longitudinal direction thereof was obtained.

Example 2 This specific example relates to a method of spotty dyeing ofa nylon filament yarn. As shown in FIG. 9, a yarn was run from a package91 by means of a guide roller 92. Tension was imparted to said runningyarn by means of a tension device 93. Vibration was imported to saidyarn by contacting said running yarn with a vibrating plate 95 to bevibrated by means of a gear 94. The top end 96 of a nozzle for supplyinga dye liquor was intermittently contacted with said yarn, and

the thus obtained yarn dyed in mottles was heat dried upon a wheelheater and thereafter the yarn was wound up by means of a guide roller98.

The yarn used for treatment in this example was a nylon filament yarn of110 As the dye liquor, a mixture obtained by dissolving 10 g. of NeolanBlack WAN (Ciba Co.) in 100 cc. of water, heating the same for 10 min.at C., and after completely cooling, admixing cc. of 2% aqueous solutionof CMC and 3 g. of ammonium acetate by stirring was used. Said dyeliquor was supplied to a nozzle by means of a pump. The nozzle usedtherein had a width of 0.5 mm. and a length of 20 mm. at the top endthereof. A ratchet wheel of nylon having ten teeth was employed. Byrotating the same at a speed of 7,200 r.p.m., vibration was generated toa vibrating plate of nylon having a thickness of 0.5 mm. Around a wheelheater, whose surface temperature was 170 C., the treated yarn was woundup at a speed of m./min.

The pitch of dyed mottles and the number of mottles per cm. in the abovecase are as follows.

Wind-up speed 180 m./min.

Revolutions of ratchet wheel 7,200 r.p.m.

take-up speed ratchet Wheel revolutions X 10 The treatment in thisexample was performed so that a dyed part and a non-dyed part appearedin a ratio of 1:1, therefore Pitch of mottles:

Example 3 In this example, a magnetic vibrator of 500 cycles was used.An extremely fine piano wire connected with said magnetic vibrator wasdisposed at a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the yarn andthereby vibration was transmitted to said yarn. As a yarn treatingdevice, a roller having a diameter of 1 cm. was used. By rotating saidroller at a speed of ISO/min. in the same direction as the yarn, runningand disposing the same at a height in the vicinity of the center of theamplitude of said yarn, a dye paste was intermittently adhered to theyarn. The yarn used was 70 deniers and was wound up at a speed of 500m./min. As a result, a treated yarn wherein a mottle and an intervalbetween mottles, respectively 5 mm. in length, was obtained.

In the above example, another roller to feed a dye paste of anothercolor was additionally provided and the distance between the two rollerswas properly adjusted. As a result, mottles of two colors werecontinuously obtained in a single step. By varying the distance betweenthe two rollers, those mottles wherein one mottle is partiallysuperposed upon the other were also obtained.

Furthermore, by additionally providing a vibrator comprising atriangle-pillar cam, driven by means of a motor of 3000 rpm. andvibrating said yarn in a vertical motion of about 5 mm., a yarn wastreated so that the mottles therein were in a complex and non-uniformarrangement, but repeated with constant regularity.

Number of mottles per cm.=l X 4 7 Example 4 In this example, a magneticvibrator of 500 cycles was used as a vibrating means and anelectrothermic wire of 300 W enveloped in a quartz pipe was used as ayarn treating device. The yarn used for treatment was a crimped nylonyarn of 110 x 2 ply and taken up at a speed of 300 m./min. Consequently,an intermittently crimped yarn wherein the length of a crimped part andthat of a crimp-released part were respectively 1 cm. in the naturalunstretched state thereof was obtained. The product obtained in thisexample possesses a crimped part and an uncrimped part with an equalinterval. If the point of heating is adjusted to contact the yarn for ashorter period of time, an intermittently crimped yarn wherein thecrimped parts are more closely connected may be obtained.

The yarns imparted with the eifects of mottle-treatments as in the aboveexamples may be used as they are. However, With additional treatmentsapplied to said spottily treated yarn, a yarn may be further treated asdesired. For example, when an untwisted yarn is treated with a thickpaste in mottles in accordance with the present invention, thus makingmono-filaments gathered at mottles, dried and thereafter twisted, theparts of the yarn not treated with the paste remain substantiallyuntwisted. Thus, a yarn wherein a twisted part and non-twisted partinterchangeably appear may be obtained. After weaving or knitting saidyarn into a fabric, the paste is removed by dissolution and thereby athree-dimensional effect may be attained in the fabric due to theirregularity of stress between the twisted part and the non-twistedpart. Furthermore, by the spotty application of adhesives to a yarn '8followed bythe adhesion of other substances to said treated parts, otherdesired effects may be obtained.

What is claimed is:

A method for the mettle-treatment of yarns which comprises contacting acontinuously running yarn with a vibrating means thereby effectingvibration of said yarn, said vibrating means actuated by a vibratablemagnet located between a pair of electro-magnets oppositely disposedyarn, said electro-magnets being vibrated by means of vibrating electriccurrent applied thereto; contacting the vibrating yarn intermittentlyalong its length with a yarn treating device, said yarn treating devicebeing located at a point longitudinally separated from said vibratingmeans and being within the range of amplitude of said vibrating yarn;adhering a liquid from said yarn treating device at pointsintermittently along the length of said vibrating yarn and then heatingsaid yarn.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,175,538 3/1916Matos 68-205 X 1,240,625 9/ 1917 Taylor.

1,532,559 4/1925 Thomayer 68-203 X 1,575,234 3/1926 Thomayer 68-203 X1,651,167 11/1927 Van Alstyne 68-203 X 1,992,259 2/1935 Taylor 68-203 X2,247,716 7/ 1941 Schellenberg.

2,694,307 11/1954 Henry 68-3 X IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Examiner.

